Looking Good
by NeverMineToHold
Summary: Jude is starting to make them look bad... Or maybe he is just turning the tables on Alvin?


Title: "Looking Good"

Status: OneShot

Fandom: Tales of Xillia

Characters/Pairing: Alvin, Jude Mathis, Elize Lutus, Teepo

Disclaimer: Copyright Namco Bandai; no copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Genre: friendship, family, mild humor

Warnings: none

Summary: Jude is starting to make them look bad...

Note: First FF in this fandom. We'll see how it goes, though where it goes is clear: towards Alvin x Jude XD

Looking Good

Where common sense dictated to steer clear, both Milla and Jude rushed in instead, and the rest of the group went straight after them, like fools. Not that Alvin could complain because here he was, too, right in the thick of things.

Weird, how ingrained it had become, to follow where these people led him. Jude especially, scary smart and damn naive, a kid with dreams and ever splitting roads of possibilities ahead of him that Alvin had never had. Maybe it was envy, rearing its ugly head, that made teasing the kid such fun. - There damn well had been no place for idealism in Exodus, certainly not for a child soldier, struggling to survive at the organization's bottom.

It was something else, watching what Alvin could have been had the tsunami never dragged him to Rieze Maxia, and wagering on whether or not he was what Jude would become if this journey ended in blood and failure.

… not that the middle of a fight was the right moment to ponder these things.

"Alvin!"

He turned just in time at Jude's shout to bring up the broad side of his blade and give the kid a boost up. Jude somersaulted over the beast's back, a blurr of black and gleaming bracers, and disappeared right into its blind spot.

Alvin felt impact and force of his skyward swing shudder up into his shoulders, but he managed to use the momentum to cleanly cleave three smaller critters in half that had tried to back him towards the mountain side. He was not too keen on tumbling down and ending up as a mercenary pancake.

The beast snarled, showing two rows of gleaming teeth, as its tail lashed out towards him and hit the ground as Alvin jumped back. The earth shook underneath his feet and dust rose into the air. Mud spattered on his coat and a cut opened high on his cheekbone; the blood a warm trickle.

Elize stumbled, her casting interrupted and hit by the backlash that crackled along her hands like dark lightning. Teepo cursed up a storm, even as the puppet tried to absorb the mana of the fox-like creature.

"Urgh, this thing taste's vile!"

Wisps of icy breath started to curl around the beast's snout and Alvin braced himself for another one of those attacks that would rain needles of ice down on them. Hopefully, Jude was able to do some damage on the other side of that thing.

"Elize, get back here!"

Alvin dispatched the last of the smaller creatures before its claws could tear into Elize's dress and pulled the girl behind his back. "Elize, I need you to cast - !"

Alvin forgot what he had wanted to say because there was a spark of light and movement, and then the fox crashed sideways into a huge boulder. Bones snapped with a loud crunch and shrapnel went flying everywhere as the impact very nearly pulverized the whole rock. Muscles twitched and then the body hit the ground in a twisted heap of red-orange fur.

Alvin stared. He had recognized the kid's potential right from the start, but this was getting a little creepy. "...wow."

"Jude!" Elize cheered and took off. Teepo floated after her, cackling with glee. "You did it!"

Alvin got going more slowly. Jude came into view as the dust settled, looking none the worse for wear, but slightly disgusted at the gore that coated his right bracer.

Elize pulled him into a tight hug. "Jude, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Jude said and patted her head; careful to use his left hand. "That was a tough one."

"Sure was," Alvin readily agreed and slung his arm around the kids shoulders. "You know, it's official: the rest of us really _do_ look bad beside you."

Amber eyes were suddenly too close for comfort as Jude turned his head, cheek pressed against Alvin's shoulder. He reached out, fingertip glowing a gentle green, and Alvin felt the mana seep in and knit his skin together.

Jude's smile was warm and soft and teasing as he looked Alvin up and down as much as he could, bent under the larger man's weight. "Not all that bad."

"Alvin," Elize said and rose on tiptoes, to get a better look at the mercenaries face, "why are you blushing?"

"I'm not!" It was a knee-jerk response and far from the smooth, funny comeback he had aimed for. Alvin cleared his throat. "Thanks, Jude."

"You sure are, weirdo!" Teepo shouted right in his face and twirled out of reach as Alvin made a grab for him. "Oi!"

Jude laughed and gently pushed Elize out of the way before shrugging off Alvin's arm. "Let's go find the others."

It took Alvin a moment to follow them.

The End

R&R


End file.
